Keiki 'O Ka 'Aina
by Draconic Caduceus
Summary: It took some persuading, but at last the mighty Optimus Prime gave in, especially when Athena, no doubt at some memory from Erin, made her eyes wide and watery to stare beseechingly up at the big prime, looking for all the world as if she were about to cr
1. Go the Distance

**Don't own Transformers, yadda, yadda, yadda. Own a bunch of the characters mentioned here, and…well, that's about it. :( I also don't own 'At the Dam' by Joan Didion. **

'_thinking/reading_'

-_memory_-

'_**Internal speech/comm.'**_

"normal speech"

"_foreign language_"

* * *

'_Since the afternoon in 1967 when I first saw Hoover Dam, its image has never been entirely absent from my inner eye. I will be driving down Sunset Boulevard, or about to enter a freeway, and abruptly those power transmission towers will appear before me, canted vertiginously over the tailrace. Sometimes I am confronted by the intakes and sometimes by the shadow of the heavy cable that spans the canyon and sometimes by the ominous outlets to unused spillways, black in the lunar clarity of the desert light. Quite often I hear the turbines.'_

Athena frowned at the neat print on the data-pad held in her hands, curling her legs beneath her on the relatively small seat. Silverbolt obligingly lifted the armrest separating the two chairs, allowing her more room. The deity gave a small smile and thanked him, returning to the passage.

'_Frequently I wonder what is happening at the dam at this instant, at this precise intersection of time and space, how much water is being released to fill downstream orders and what lights are flashing and which generators are in full use and which are just spinning free.'_

Something twitched in her head, and Athena tilted her head to the side, a curious gesture. Ratchet and Arcee had told her that it had likely come from Erin, as very few mechs or humans did so. Closing her eyes, she dug deep in the crevasses of her mind.

_-_

_The air was hot and dry, but the hot she could handle: she was an outdoors type of person, and running track in humid weather made it easier to cope with the almost light feel of the desert sun on her exposed skin._

_She danced down the long stairs, fingers running down the coppery-gold-some-sort-of-metal railing, turning at the bottom to stare up at the rest of her family who walked down slowly. She had recently stopped running for track, so she was still in shape, enough to be able to run around even in the desert._

"_Ow!" rich, bubbling laughter rose in her throat and spilled out into the rather empty stairway as the woman complained about getting shocked._

_-_

_She was hidden – safe, presumably, but hidden mostly. Concrete poured around her, heavy turbines whining and whirring heavily._

_She was trapped, alone, in her concrete prison. Scaffoldings in metal and wood wound around her, chains that held her to her concrete dungeon._

-

Athena took a deep, shuddering breath and jerked her head to stare out the window, ignoring for the moment the worried questions of Silverbolt. Achingly bright clouds – white fluffy creations reflecting the sunlight – drifted past, and past them, Athena could see the ending of the California coastline and the beginning of the never-ending blue expanse of the Pacific Ocean. White waves bled into greenish water, then to aqua, and further on into the dark indigo depths.

"Are you all right, Athena?" frigid blue eyes jerked to Armonie who gingerly sat next to her, careful not to crowd her. "Silverbolt says you suddenly stopped reading."

Reading? Oh yeah; she'd been reading to him. Not that he couldn't have looked it up himself: she needed the practice, and he was the only one who would appreciate the passage and be patient with her slow reading skills.

She took a shaky breath, feeling Armonie's rich brown eyes inspecting her maternally. "We are fine," she said at last, sounding a little weak. "Sorry, Silverbolt."

There was a pause. _**'It's all right, Athena.'**_ He said at last, still sounding a little worried. _**'Are you sure you're all right?'**_

Athena gulped and gave a shaky smile. Armonie shoved a water bottle in her hand and she drank gratefully. _**'We'll live.'**_

He didn't sound convinced, but he said _**'Okay,'**_ anyway.

Armonie, seeing that the deity was okay, patted her shoulder before returning to her seat a ways away. The plus side on being on an enormous Boeing 717 with only seven or so passengers was that it didn't matter where one sat. She took another shuddering breath and picked up the data-pad from where it fell and uncurling her legs to stretch them, began to read once more.

'_I used to wonder what it was about the dam that made me think of it at times and in places where I once thought of the Mindanao Trench, or of the stars wheeling in their courses, or of the words _As it was in the beginning, is now and ever shall be, world without end, amen._ Dams, after all, are commonplace: we have all seen one. This particular dam had existed as an idea in the work's mind for almost forty years before I saw it. Hoover Dam, showpiece of the Boulder Canyon project, the several million tons of concrete that made the Southwest plausible, the _fait accompli_ that was to convey, in the innocent time of its construction, the notion that mankind's brightest promise lay in American engineering.'_

Her head "itched" with that familiar sensation and she stopped abruptly, biting down hard on her lip and squeezing her eyes shut, the muscles in her back tensing and releasing, rippling with her force of will to suppress the rising, disorienting memories.

'_**You're remembering, aren't you?'**_ Silverbolt asked gently, and his hologram appeared beside her, startling her momentarily. _**'It's all right,**_**' **he said kindly.

Ratchet, in Skydive's cargo hold (though apparently running continuous scans on Athena), spoke then. _**'It's unhealthy to try and suppress it, Athena.'**_

'_**It's just disorienting.'**_ The deity grumbled. _**'It's like doing three totally different things at once. It's just that you don't know which is real and which is a memory.'**_

Silverbolt made a low, sympathetic noise. _**'I know the feeling: I hear it from**_**them**_** all the time.'**_ If the other Aerialbots heard that, they ignored it. Anything else her companions said was drowned out as the memory she was trying to suppress rose up suddenly.

-

_Quickly, she ducked behind a large bin, her laughter giving her position away. Not that her opponents were much better off. The tiny white balls struck her, and as they fell and struck the pavement with sharp pops._

_Two small forms slammed into her, sending her toppling over with a cry of mock fear. "Ehwin!" the little boy on her back tugged on her hair._

_She twisted her head to the side, grinning up at the boy on her back while pretending to try and get free. She popped up on her hands and knees, bouncing around as the boy dug his heels into her sides._

-

"Stop crowding her," Katie's irate voice sounded around her as her eyelids flickered. Her chair was nearly flat, and she was sprawled out across two. For a long moment she stared at the panels above her head before turning her head. The humans on board as well as Silverbolt's hologram were around her, each face worried.

Armonie knelt at her head and placed a cool hand on her tan forehead. "Get some rest," was all she said, and all Athena could do was nod in mute agreement. Even before everyone left her she was asleep.

* * *

-

_A hand shook her awake. "Look out the window, Er." A soft voice whispered near her ear. "We're home."_

_Through the thick fog clinging to her mind, she managed to raise her head and flip open the window. It was night, and the skies were dotted with small pinpoints of light – stars – and painted here and there with little spots of fluffy clouds. Beyond it was home._

_Lights dotted the green landscape, rising up the mountain and stopping at seemingly random intervals. The golden light from houses and streetlamps lit the mountains and the island beautifully, and it seemed to her for a moment as if the entire island was a figment of her imagination._

_For a brief moment, her breath was stolen at the beauty. '_I'm home,'_ she thought, and a smile curled her lips upward, the first genuine smile in three days. She didn't realize how much she'd missed it._

-

'_**Athena,'**_ a soft, cool hand shook her shoulder gently, and she blearily blinked her eyes open. _**'We're almost here. Look out the window.'**_ She sat up quickly and thrust the blind up before Silverbolt could.

It was mid-afternoon, and the sky was a rich pale blue, dotted with richly white clouds that were nearly blinding in the light. Far below them the ocean pulsed, a dark blue-indigo blanket that stroked the tan shores with lacy fingers. Richly green mountains rose slowly from the earth like a sleeping beast, and homes of many colors dotted the sides of the mountain and the flatland as if trying to climb but failing and turning back around.

A stray thought drifted through her head, and for the first time, Athena didn't care if anyone heard. _We're _home.


	2. How Far We've Come

It took some persuading, but at last the mighty Optimus Prime gave in, especially when Athena, no doubt at some memory from Erin, made her eyes wide and watery to stare beseechingly up at the big Prime, looking for all the world as if she were about to cry. She had placed a comparatively tiny tan hand on his big blue leg. "We want to know who we are, sir," she had said very quietly, bright blue eyes shining pleadingly up at him.

Whether she had convinced him by pulling on his heartstrings (to use a human phrase) or by adding a little AllSpark power through her hand and into the Prime to push the decision along was still under contention.

Predictably, it was Red Alert and Kup who made the most noise about the proposed trip, but after Athena looked once more, hopefully, up at the Prime, they were overruled. The very second the meeting was over, Jazz, Bumblebee, Bluestreak, Hot Rod, and Arcee bolted out of the room to laugh. The humans weren't very far behind as Athena walked out with a smug expression just barely visible on her usually-expressionless face.

"You're a little manipulator!" Armonie had laughed, slinging an arm around the deity even as she wiped tears of mirth from her eyes.

Athena had merely tilted her head to the side. "Why, thank you." This caused them all to resume laughing.

Once they had gotten over the first hurdle (getting permission from Optimus), they needed to clear the next one: finding a way for the young humans to be separated safely from their respective families. Which, in itself, was hard, considering Maggie, Jordan, Armonie, and Katie could take off work, but Sam, Mikaela, and Athena had parents who would notice if they packed enough clothes for two weeks in Hawaii during spring break, where Erin and Nicole grew up. And nobody thought that the pleading look Athena offered Optimus would work on their parents.

"What about college?" Arcee had suggested. "Nicole's old enough to be in college, and I've locked myself in her room enough for her mom to believe that I'm applying for colleges."

Athena had tilted her head to the side at that. "Well," Mikaela said slowly, eyes lighting up. "Sam and I are seniors this year and Erin's on 'spring break.'"

"She's a junior, though. A year younger than you. You could go to college and it could be plausible, but could Erin?" Jazz asked curiously.

Mikaela nodded. "I've had a few friends who had graduated when they were juniors." Then she shook her head. "But school didn't end yet; we could only have the excuse of visiting a college away from home."

"And she's been taking extra classes," Arcee had added. "She's ahead in everything, and has enough class credits to graduate early."

"That makes us sound conceited," Athena commented, but as she said nothing more, her comment was mostly ignored.

"Now all we need is to find a way to get her family to agree…"

Athena grunted in annoyance, interrupting Hot Rod's statement as she lifted a finger. Her other hand rose and pointed at Katie's purse. It jerked and shuddered as a bolt of light shot at it like a jagged streak of electricity, a small creature scrambling out. Athena turned her hand over so that her palm was facing upward and the little creature, with a little chitter, fired a grappling hook-like gun which fired a thin wire. The wire wrapped gently around Athena's thin wrist, and the creature – what used to be Katie's cell phone – swung up to her palm where it stood.

It scrambled up and down her arm, curling cat-like around her neck and collarbones before sliding and crawling down her arms to her hands once more, chattering all the while.

Athena made a low noise, and the small 'bot stopped for a moment, regarding her with a sudden attentiveness that was surprising for such a seemingly-hyper creature. Then it gave a low chatter and leapt up in the air, transforming in one smooth motion. Athena caught it easily in one hand as it flipped open.

There was a dial tone for a second before the phone rang. A woman answered. _"Hello?"_

"Hi, mom." They all started as Athena spoke levelly and with a gentle inflection they recognized from Erin. "Oh, nothing much," she said, tilting her head to the side. "Guess what? I found a college scout and he says that he could get me to a good college. A full ride, yeah. Nicole? Yeah, sure."

A messy, blobby hologram shivered beside her, and an approximation of a hand lifted the phone from her fingers. "Hello? Hey, Kyla. Yeah, he's pretty cool." The hologram said in an exact replica of Nicole/Arcee's voice. "He offered me a place, too. Cool, huh? Yeah, I'll be Erin's aide, but he says that I can take whatever classes I want if we can find another aide for Erin. There's an informational meeting tonight in town, and a trip there during spring break. Shall we pick you up?"

The Autobots stared in mute shock as Athena plucked the phone from the hologram's blobby hand and flicked it off. Then she dialed again, ignoring them and handing the phone back to the hologram that shivered again. This time it was on speakerphone. "_Sam_?"

"Hey, mom." The hologram murmured as Sam staggered away from it. "I know it's a little late, but guess what!"

Dead silence from the other end. "_Don't tell me you got Mikaela pregnant? Oh God, Sam, I wanted to be a grandmother, but you're too young!_"

"Mom, mom, no." the hologram grumbled in an exact replica of Sam, sounding irritate and embarrassed. "Jeez, mom, she can hear you, ya know!"

A sigh. "_Sorry, Sam, but don't pull something on me like that._" Now his mother sounded cross. "_What was it that you wanted to tell me that couldn't wait?_"

"I got accepted to college. It's really cool: this college scout found me and says he can get me in for a full ride _and_ a free trip there during spring break." Silence for a long moment. "Mom? You okay?"

"_Sam, what did you do to your mother?_" the voice of Sam's father came over the phone, sounding suspicious. "_She looks like she's about to faint._"

"Sorry, Dad," the hologram sounded contrite now. "I just told her that this college scout can get me a full ride into college. There's a meeting tonight and it's mandatory for all parents to attend."

"_That's great, Sam! Why didn't you tell us earlier? Why the late notice?_" the man sounded as if he was torn between feeling proud or cross.

"Well, they just told me today," the hologram replied. "You gonna come?"

"_Of course, Sammy!_" his mother crooned and there was a brief, audible scuffle over the phone. After taking down the time and place, they hung up.

For the second time, Athena closed the phone. She and the hologram looked at the staring 'bots. "What?"

"What are you doing?" Ratchet demanded. "You can't just call people up like that. How did you get their numbers, anyway?"

Athena tilted her head to the side, and the phone transformed, skittering along her shoulders and climbing through her spiky hair. The hologram melted away, and the humans shuddered, too much reminded of the wire-monster Athena had inadvertently conjured not more than two weeks ago. "Did we break a law?" she sounded confused; without Erin's knowledge of the human laws, Ratchet had tried to explain them to her. _Tried_ being the operative word: she had already broken a few laws, though thankfully they had been minor.

"More like manners," Hot Rod muttered.

Athena sniffed; she didn't like manners so much, and it was hard for the Autobots to keep her from entering rooms without knocking. "We don't see the problem, then. And it's not like we did anything wrong…we only sped things up a bit."

Mikaela put a hand on her shoulder after seeing the almost painfully confused look on the other's face. "We're just not sure if we can convince everyone's parents that the reason we're going away for spring break is for college visitation."

"And what about after we come back?" Armonie asked. "They can't just show up,'" she pointed out.

The deity huffed, looking almost cross. An electric blue shiver twisted up her arm, a sign of her irritation that they had to break her of. "We know what we are doing." When no one seemed to believe her, she spun on a heel and stalked away.

"I think I'm going out on a limb here, but I think you just insulted her," Jordan said dryly, crossing her arms over her chest.

* * *

Athena sat on the empty oil drum, watching with a warm sense of amusement as Scorponok and Frenzy played around nearby. Barricade leaned against the wall nearby, shifting every once in a while to make sure the thin aluminum wall he was leaning against didn't suddenly collapse on him.

'_**What a mismatched group we are,'**_ Athena told the large Decepticon bitterly.

Barricade voiced a low, curious rumble. _**'How so?'**_

She gestured at the mismatched 'bots frolicking in the hot desert air, kicking up fine orangey dust. _**'A Decepticon drone who lost his partner, a Decepticon hacker, a Decepticon shock trooper, and an AllSpark-human hybrid. None of us are trusted even though we have the power to make things easier.'**_

"Such is life." Barricade said out loud. "It's hard to trust what you don't understand." He tilted his head to the side. "What were you doing earlier?"

He wasn't allowed in the main area of the base, having the warehouse next to it all to himself. If you didn't count Frenzy, Michael, and Scorponok, that is. It was a place where Athena usually "hung out," a place she could talk to Barricade, Scorponok, Frenzy, and Michael without many interruptions; the Autobots were still wary of the new additions. Athena curled up on the oil drum, pulling her knees to her chest. The sun felt good on her skin, and while she explained her idea to Barricade, she basked in it.

The Decepticon – _former_ Decepticon, she corrected herself rather belatedly – grunted in annoyance. _**'It's almost easier with the Decepticons,'**_ he muttered. Then he seemed to realize who he was talking to and snapped out of it. _**'What will happen now?'**_

Athena snorted. _**'The parents we called are going to the place I suggested, and they'll find that no one is there and there was no such college meeting.'**_

Barricade frowned. _**'You made it **_**this**_** far…how were you planning on convincing them?'**_

A California Condor swirled high above and Athena looked up. Barricade followed her gaze upwards and they both watched the dark shape swing lazily through the azure sky. "Will you come down, please?" Athena murmured, lifting a hand towards the dark shape. The condor's wings dipped and the shape became larger and larger as it circled lower and lower. At last the massive condor landed beside her and folded its massive nine-foot wings. It lifted its grotesque head up and stared at her from its tri-colored face as it ruffled its dark feathers.

Scorponok and Frenzy stopped, peering at the bird from a safe distance away as Athena uncurled herself and reached over to pat the thin feathers along the condor's neck. _**'How do thatthat?'**_ Frenzy asked, chattering in his excited way.

"We ask things to do something for us, and they do." Athena replied. Her icy blue eyes met Barricade's red optics. "This is why we were planning on meeting them. If we spoke to the parents, we could convince them that they really _are_ going off to a college visitation. And when we get back, we could convince them that we were never gone."

Barricade regarded her for a long while. "So whatever you ask, that person will obey?"

"If we want to." Athena hesitated. "The Autobots don't know, though." The condor nibbled gently on her finger to get her attention, lifting its pinions as it shifted uneasily. She reached into her bag and pulled out a stick of jerky which she gave to the defiant bird.

The former Decepticon regarded Athena for a long moment. "What are your limits?"

Athena shrugged. "Any machine and any living thing obeys us without realizing why. We aren't the god of death, so our only real limit is death."

Barricade gave a low, thoughtful rumble as Scorponok chattered at the bird who flapped its wings angrily, jerky apparently finished. Athena reached down and stroked the soft feathers on its neck. "Thank you. You can go now." The grotesque face tilted but the bird turned and leapt away, beating its massive wings as it lifted higher and higher into the air.

'_**I don't see why you can't continue your plan on your own.'**_ Barricade murmured on a private channel with the deity, watching warily as Arcee and Bumblebee emerged from the other hangar.

Athena followed his gaze and frowned. She knew they were looking for her, but a sudden urge to not be found kept the two Autobots' optics turned away from them. _**'How? We'd need a vehicle to get there, and a way to convince Mikaela's dad to come.'**_

Barricade huffed. _**'**_**I**_** could drive you, and you can use someone's cell phone.'**_ He paused. _**'Don't you still have Katie's phone?'**_

The deity looked down at her shirt pocket and indeed found the small phone. It chattered and transforming, climbed up her shoulders to rest beneath her ear. Athena smiled brightly up at Barricade as her blobby hologram shivered into existence behind her.


	3. Be My Escape

They landed in the late afternoon at Hickam Air Force Base, and Athena practically leapt out of the plane in her excitement. As it was, Ratchet nearly dove on the tarmac to catch her as she tripped down Silverbolt's stairs. The newly-blooming bruises were ignored as Athena looked around with wide eyes, joy lighting her face.

Their welcoming committee – various high-ranking officials from the Air Force, Army, and Marines – looked started at the sudden movement, and even took a step or two back as they noticed the amount of civilians filing carefully out of the plane.

Ratchet grunted and put Athena down, stepping back and transforming as she settled herself. Unlike many of the other Autobot charges, she seemed perfectly at ease in the 95-degree-and-humid weather. In California, the humidity was far less, and in the desert especially, the air was dry; in Hawaii, the air seemed incredibly heavy, as if it was yet another force pushing down on someone as he or she walked around outside.

Remembering their manners, the welcoming committee snapped sharply to attention. "Welcome to Hickam…uh…sir." The man in the lead said. Ratchet's hologram appeared beside Athena as the rest of the humans gathered nearby. He inclined his head, keeping one eye trained on Athena who seemed content with standing there for the moment.

"We'll take you to where you'll be saying…?" a Marine asked, shifting nervously.

Katie took pity on him and smiled. "That'd be nice."

An Army man motioned for them to follow their welcoming committee to the Jeeps parked nearby. Silverbolt and Skydive bid them farewell as they were being refueled; the rest of the Aerialbots were circling above, waiting for their teammates.

Athena skipped away from Ratchet's hologram, standing instead beside Barricade and Frenzy. Arcee looked as if she was about to argue, but stopped when Frenzy skittered up her arm, bouncing along her shoulders and Barricade popped open his door for her. Ratchet fixed all three of them with a sharp glare before allowing his hologram to dissolve; apparently he had yet to forgive them for acting on their own.

After a moment, all of the Autobots had transformed and the humans had loaded their luggage (and themselves) into them. Once that was done, they were off.

* * *

The house they were staying at wasn't at Hickam, but in an area called Ford Island, located in the middle of Pearl Harbor. They took up three houses: the only three in a small cul-de-sac.

Athena skipped out of Barricade's cab, looking up at the two-story house in the middle. Behind her, the Marine man was telling them that the three houses were owned by one man and one family. However, the man's family had either died or moved away, and out of nostalgia, he kept them, but allowed others to use them when needed.

The given information fell on deaf ears in regards to Athena, who walked stiffly toward the house. The door opened and a tall man walked out, tan skin flashing in the bright sunlight. Athena and the man froze, standing a handful of yards apart from each other and staring directly at the other, identical looks of shock across their face.

It was Athena who spoke first, and the Autobots stared at the words that slipped from her mouth. "Hey, Jared. I'm home."

The man's look of shock slipped away, replaced by one of joy as he opened his arms wide. Athena took two great steps forward and leapt into his arms, a smile stretched across her face as she buried her head in his shoulder.

* * *

"Are you all right?"

Athena trained an irritated blue eye on the medic. "We're _fine_."

Jared was bustling around in the other room while the humans lounged around in the main sitting room. A few holograms winked in and out, though only Barricade's, Arcee's, and Ratchet's holograms even drifted in her direction.

"I'm sorry, but how can we believe that?" Arcee hissed, hologram shifting. Jared, they had found, was Nicole's blood-brother, and Erin's step-brother: he would know who Arcee's hologram was on sight, and Arcee didn't know if she would be able to pull her Nicole act off well enough for her own brother to believe it.

A ripple of bluish lightning. It dissolved moments before Jared returned to the room, a tray with cups, a pitcher of water, mugs, a kettle of tea, plates, and appetizers. "I don't have much," he said apologetically. "But I _do_ have your favorites, Erin."

Athena smiled, all traces of her ire gone: the Autobots weren't entirely sure if she hid it or that she was a very good actor. "Thanks, Jared." Delicately she picked up a chip from the tray and sliding it through the dip, nibbled on it.

"It's nice to see you back here." He was saying as he set the tray down. "I missed you guys. Is it just you here?"

"We're here on a class trip. The four of us," Athena nodded at Sam, Mikaela, and Arcee's new hologram. "Wrote an essay and won a trip here to learn about the military."

The Autobots' humans shivered, feeling the little arcs of power Athena gave off. They looked at her in time to see the unearthly glow fade from her bright blue eyes. Jared blinked almost blankly, as if he had just lost his train of thought. "I'm sorry, you must be so tired; I'll show you to your rooms."

Athena smiled serenely, taking a plate of appetizers and followed the group.

* * *

'_Of course the dam derives some of its emotional effect from precisely that aspect, that sense of being a monument to a faith since misplaced. "They died to make the desert bloom," reads a plaque dedicated to the ninety-six men who died building this first of the great high dams, and in context the worn phrase touches, suggests all of that trust in harnessing resources, the meliorative power of the dynamo, so central to the early Thirties._' Athena finished reading, looking up as Ratchet's hologram materialized in front of her.

"Are you remembering things now?" he demanded sharply.

His tone made her sit up straight in her chair, eyes narrowing. Mikaela, who shared the room with her, nearly fell out of her bed, startled at the sudden appearance of the Autobot CMO.

"And if we are?" she asked slowly, almost angrily. "Is that not our entire purpose for being here?"

"You know what I mean," Ratchet snapped back.

A shiver of bluish lightning glittered down her arm. "You're afraid," she said at last. While Ratchet sputtered, torn between shock and anger, she continued. "You think that we would remember too much and feel inclined to stay here. With Jared." Athena stood slowly, and though Erin's body was shorter than Ratchet's hologram (and the shortest in the house), she seemed to loom over him. Added to the almost cat-like grace the deity possessed, it turned the normally-docile girl into a force to be reckoned with. Another shiver of bluish lightning, and with an awkward, jerky movement, Athena turned and walked out the door.

* * *

Jared looked up as Erin sat down across from him, closing her eyes and resting her chin on her folded arms. "Can't sleep?"

A startling blue eye opened. "No, not really. Too much excitement."

He made a sympathetic noise as he leaned back in his chair, regarding the near-stranger. "Your eyes are nice. Contacts?"

Erin grunted in reply. "I didn't like my eyes. Nicole bought me contacts as a gift."

A large hand rose, gently stroking her forehead. "Why blue?"

Erin shrugged. "Because it was pretty? I'm not entirely sure. Nevertheless, I like it."

Jared stood and walked into the kitchen, returning with two steaming mugs of tea. He sat down once more, handing Erin a mug before raising his in a toast. With a dry, reckless grin, Erin raised her own glass and sat back.

* * *

Arcee peered into the house, and if she could, she would have been frowning. She didn't argue when Athena had brought Barricade along, nor did she argue when Athena and Ratchet first proposed the trip: she simply didn't have the drive to do so.

Arcee knew why she felt so jealous: in the time she had come to know Erin, they had formed a true sisterly bond. Even when Mei had come into the picture, they had been 'sisters.' To Arcee, it was more than just a façade to fool the humans: she _became_ Nicole, and as far as she and Erin were concerned, she _was_ Nicole. Now, seeing pictures of the role she was playing, the smiling faces of Nicole, Jared, and Erin, all together in one whole _family_, she felt as if she was a cube trying to fit into a triangular hole. She just didn't _fit_.

And now…watching Athena who was in a similar predicament as her interacting with Jared…it just felt so _wrong_. She shivered and settled down to recharge with the rest of her teammates.

* * *

Two deities stared down from the stars, impassive, waiting.

* * *


	4. Strangers Like Me: Part I

It was at some hidden prompting that woke Athena the next morning, a hidden twist in her mind and body that brought her out of that fuzzy, velvety fog that the humans called 'sleep.' She sat up slowly, dislodging the heavy comforter that had kept her warm during the night and stretching, she stood. Almost idly she walked to the window where she stared out, noting that the sky was beginning to lighten as the day approached.

She blinked as the memory snuck up on her, slowly distorting her vision as it took over her consciousness.

-

_It was dark, but her eyes had long since gotten adjusted as she stood and stretched, shaking off bits of dirt from her body. The girl beside her, taller than her by a hand-length, giggled, a strangely muffled sound as she grabbed a small white and some-other-color-distorted-by-the-darkness pen that read EXPO in bold white letters._

"_No," she whispered in a strangled, muffled whisper, digging through her bag for something. In the silvery moonlight she pulled out a thick, metallic pen that read _SHARPIE, KING SIZE PERMANENT MARKER_ in big, bold letters._

_Her companion clapped her hands to her mouth, muffling her laughter before taking the thick pen from her hands and turning to their other friend who lay sprawled out on the bed, snoring with wild abandon._

-

The memory disappeared from her 'sight' as her knees became wobbly and she began to collapse. Instinct took over and her hands shot out and caught herself on the windowsill, dislodging the memory's lingering effects with a short burst of adrenaline.

Athena's face twisted in a frown as she straightened, turning to look in the mirror nearby. Four shapes shimmered into existence, two whose eyes conveyed a deep sense of worry, understanding, and sympathy while the other two's eyes were sharp, direct, and accusing.

_-Time is something we don't have.-_ the first of the two whose eyes were accusing told her though his lips didn't move in the mirror.

_-Time is something _you_ don't have.-_ the second corrected, dark eyes hovering between accusing and sympathetic.

The two disappeared, leaving the two who Athena peered at closer. They shrugged, ethereal apparitions like the 'ghosts' she'd heard about from the Internet. She didn't know whether to feel afraid or nonchalant about them, or _what_ to feel exactly, seeing them on either side of her in the mirror.

'_They are right,'_ the first one whispered, and Athena felt herself becoming angry.

'_But it is _your_ choice,_' the second intoned, tilting her head to the side.

The first tucked her chin to her chest, looking down. _'Make the best of your time.'_ She said at last, and she disappeared, followed closely by the second.

Athena touched the mirror gently with her fingers, feeling the smooth glass beneath her skin. As ever when she saw the four apparitions, she felt the stab of adrenaline and a flash of cold fear though recently she was beginning to get used to the two female ones. They seemed very nice.

The sudden urge to _move_ assaulted her and she stumbled backwards, shaking her head. With a last glance at the mirror, she turned back to "her" belongings to get dressed.

She walked silently down the carpeted stairs, shoes in hand; in Hawaii, she vaguely "remembered," one took off their shoes before entering the house. Jared was in the kitchen, and gave her a warm smile as he cooked, and Athena bit her lip. If he was asked where she went, he'd tell, and if she just walked out, he'd chase after her to figure out where she was going…regardless of where she wanted to go, she wanted to do it _alone_.

Frenzy, who was on the counter but untouched, lifted a startling blue optic, warbling curiously. _**'Where gogo?'**_

Athena shushed him gently, looking at Jared thoughtfully as he opened his mouth to speak. A thought stopped him and he froze almost comically with his mouth open. Then, after a few agonizingly slow seconds, his eyes slid off her and he returned to cooking. Picking up Frenzy, Athena slipped out the front door where she pulled on her shoes and walked into the garage.

'_**What you dodo?'**_ the former Decepticon chattered as she put him down the covered garage. A similar thought allowed the scanners of Arcee, Bumblebee, and Ratchet, who were in the garage, to not notice her at all; they all went back to their recharge cycles, their reason for "waking" forgotten.

'_**Made sure that I'd be alone.'**_ Athena murmured in reply. _**'Except for you,'**_ she added belatedly, patting the silver boom box fondly. Something in the corner caught her eye and she walked over. It had two thin wheels with a light metal frame, a strangely triangular seat and handles opposite the apex of the triangular seat. She touched it gently, wondering what it was.

'_A bike. Nicole's originally.'_ Athena's head jerked up and she stared into the tiny bit of shiny metal beside her: one of her apparitions was distorted in the contours of Ratchet's backside. The apparition smiled. _'_You_ won't remember how to use it, but your body will.'_ And then she was gone, disappearing like mist in the wind.

She shook her head and looked back at the 'bike' once more, running her hand over the painted metal. She peered at the grips and the seat, then at the small metal basket in the back over the rear tire. _**'Transform,'**_ she told Frenzy, and he obeyed; she placed him gently in the basket and hooked a small cord over the top to keep him from bouncing out.

Athena glanced at the helmets on the wall, pulling off a silver one that was oddly familiar, clipping it on. The apparition was right: though she didn't quite remember anything about this odd contraption, her body did and responded automatically. Opening the door, she wheeled the bike out the door after she flipped the small metal stand up with her foot.

For a while she wheeled it out of the garage, then out on the street before checking her clothes and the condition of the bike. She wore a pair of long shorts and a relatively loose T-shirt, clothing that was 'not bad' according to Mikaela. She also said that it was good for outdoor use, and Athena supposed that it would count in this strange place she was in. Athena adjusted her helmet and swung a leg over the bike, careful not to hit Frenzy in the little metal basket.

After a moment spent getting used to the alien and yet familiar feeling, she pushed off the curb with her foot and glided along the street for a few feet before falling sideways; she caught herself with her foot and frowned, skewing her face as she strove to remember as the apparition suggested she would.

-

_She raced along the road, on the right side of the yellow line, ducking beneath low branches and weaving expertly around dips and bits of trash in the road. She turned her head and grinned back at the man behind her. "Come on!" she cried with wild abandon, swinging her head back around and pedaling faster, her surroundings becoming a blur as she sped down the road._

-

Athena blinked. She was getting better at that. Movement in the glass beside her caught her eye and she peered at the glass window of the neighbor's car: one of the male apparitions frowned disapprovingly back at her. Shaking her head, she pushed off the curb once more and placing her feet on the strange, flat pedals, she pushed.

* * *

Athena adjusted her backpack and dismounted her bike, frowning at the long bridge leading off of Ford Island. Walking beside her bike, she decided that she really didn't want to ride her bike or walk all the way across. A flash of disappointment flashed across her face until she spotted a man glaring at his smoking car as if by the glare alone it would be fixed.

It was a truck, with enough space in the bed for her bike, and a cab large enough to fit her, Frenzy, and the man. She felt her "spirits lift" as the saying went and walked quickly over to the man. "Car broke down?" she asked, pushing sympathy and worry into her voice with no little difficulty.

The man grunted and kicked the tire. "Yeah, man." He grumbled. "On my way to one 'portant meetin' an' everything. I don' need this shit."

"Where's your meeting?" she asked, leaning the bike against her hip.

"It's not one meetin'." He admitted. "I was s'possed to meet one general down at the airport, let him use my truck an' all."

Athena tapped the metal stand with her foot and it popped out, and she propped the bike upon it, allowing her to walk away from it, making a sympathetic noise. While she wasn't sure where the airport he was talking about was, she had a feeling that it was fairly far away. "If I fix your car, would you take me to the airport?"

The man started and he scratched his head, disrupting his beret. "To the airport?" he raised a quizzical brow. "You goin' somewhere?"

She shook her head. "No, just going around. I'm going to catch the bus from there." That seemed to appease him, for he nodded and stepped back from the truck.

Athena nodded and looked at the car carefully, allowing her mind to go blank as she assessed the damage. When she was sure the man wasn't looking, she allowed a small arc of bluish light to race across the expanse between her and the car, pooling around its "injury" until it was fixed. The smoking stopped immediately and she closed the hood. "There. All done. Try start it."

The man looked dubious, but obeyed, and his face portrayed his shock at hearing the truck hum to life. He cut the engine and climbed out. "Aw, man, thanks _so_ much. Let's get your bike loaded and we can get going, ya?"

* * *

Upon reaching the airport, the man had pulled over, helped her to pull her bike out of the back of his truck, and then drove off to find his general. She hesitated, and found a bus drawing near. On its front, it declared: '_ROUTE 20: WAIKIKI-PEARLRIDGE_.'

She stood back a bit, watching as other passengers got on and off the big bus, and noticed that there was a bike rack in front of the bus. She walked her bike over and placed it carefully in, adjusting the hooks to keep the bike in place while the bus drove. She unclipped Frenzy and with him under her arm, walked on the bus.

At the top of the stairs she paused, staring at the pay center for a long moment. How much did she pay? She had no idea how old she was, so she paid two dollars (the adult rate, or so the sign read) and found a seat near the front.

'_**Whatwhat this?'**_ Frenzy asked excitedly as they bounced along.

'_**No idea.'**_ Was the reply.

'_**Cadecade wants know where we are.'**_

Athena looked down at the silver boom box in her lap and patted it absently. _**'Tell him we're on The Bus.'**_

After receiving an affirmative, Athena checked the time. It was nearly eight o'clock in the morning, so she had plenty of time to explore before her absence was noticed. She had noticed long ago that the humans tended to spend a lot of time asleep, especially Mikaela and Sam who were the youngest aside from her host body.

A surreptitious hand tugged on her shirt and she looked down at Frenzy, pulled from her thoughts. _**'Cadecade wants know why.'**_

The bus jolted and she peered out the window, seeing the beaches approaching. She wasn't aware that she had been riding for so long… The bus chimed as a passenger signaled that they wanted it to stop, and Athena stood with them, tucking Frenzy under her arm. _**'We…'**_ she hesitated as they walked off the bus and pulled their bike off the rack. _**'Something is telling us to come here, and we don't think it is wise to ignore it.'**_

She felt Frenzy relay her message to his partner as she strapped the silver boom box back in the basket before mounting the bike once more. Athena pushed off the bench and glided along the sidewalk, weaving between pedestrians and other bikers. Looking around, she glided across the street and rode along the lines of shops and fancy hotels, beginning her exploration of the area.


	5. Rise

Athena scowled through her sopping wet hair, but didn't complain, knowing that Frenzy definitely had it worse than she did. She pedaled hard and slid to a wavering stop beneath the little shelter made by the roof of the bathroom on the beach.

A pigeon walked through the rain, appearing to not care about the drops of water pelting its dirty feathers. _'Why is it raining?'_

The bird stopped and turned to look at her with eerie red-orange eyes. It was a dirty white bird, with a purplish head and a green collar. Across its wings and the rest of its body were gray streaks like soot. 'Why should it not rain?' the bird asked in reply, tilting its head to the side. It shook its head, tilting its beak up to the heavens as the rain continued to fall.

'_It's _wet_.'_ She replied petulantly, earning another orange-red stare.

The bird flicked its wings as another glided in to land beside it. 'Yes? That is rain.' The new one said, flicking its wings before folding them neatly.

A gust of wind angled the rain until the cold, wet drops slapped at Athena once more. Frenzy gave a low chatter in irritation, and Athena agreed with him wordlessly. 'And that is wind.' The first bird laughed, twisting its head this way and that.

Athena snorted and mounted the bike once more. _**'We're going to chance it: we won't stay very dry here.'**_

Frenzy said nothing, though Athena could tell he hated the rain as much as she did. A flicker of movement caught her eye: one of the female apparitions was dancing along in the puddles. Shaking her head, Athena pushed off once more, bringing her out of her little shelter and back into the pounding, merciless rain.

She had covered Frenzy with a newspaper, though it didn't do much good as the paper was soaked after the first few seconds. Athena shivered, teeth chattering in an involuntary gesture. She darted across the street and along the lines of shops and hotels: they were all packed with people who stared at her and her bike; they wouldn't let her into the relative shelter of the shops because of the bike.

Athena turned sharply around the corner and zipped down the busy service streets, weaving past dumpster bins and delivery trucks alike. After ducking along seemingly random overhangs, she found an area where she could stop. In big gold letters over the open entry were the words WAIKIKI TRADE CENTER, and though it looked enclosed, it was in actuality open, without any doors separating the inside and the out.

Seeing this, Athena rode in and stopped, swinging her leg – her _wet_ and _cold_ leg – over the seat and nearly stumbled; her body was shaking almost convulsively with the cold, and she leaned herself and her bike against a nearby wall which was thankfully made of stone. A gust of wind whistled through the trade center and she shivered once more, teeth chattering audibly.

"Oh, shoot, man, you okay?" a sudden voice next to her startled her, and she turned jerkily to look at the man who seemed to have materialized beside her.

"F-f-fi-ine" she stuttered out as another gust of wind blew more rain and cold into her.

The man hissed in sympathy and urged her further into the trade center. At a bench, he stopped her and swung off his jacket, placing it around her shoulders. "Man, it's too cold here." Gently he helped her to her feet and helping to push her bike while somehow shielding her from the cold wind, led her further and further into the trade center.

A gentle ripple, more a mental feeling than a physical one, washed over her and automatically Athena shielded herself and Frenzy, making them appear as a cold teenage girl and her silver radio. As the ripples – scans – continued, she traced them invisibly, gliding along with half her mind to the source.

The man led her into a large room and sat her down gently on a tall stool, propping her bike up beside her as the scans continued to ripple through the air. Then they ceased and Athena slipped back along the current-less air back to the other half of her mind.

She glanced at the large mirror behind the almost-table and found one of the male apparitions frowning disapprovingly. A female apparition appeared (the one she immediately coined as the Young Woman) and flapped her hand at the other who frowned once more before disappearing. She flashed a quick smile before she, too disappeared.

"Here." The man shoved a cup of something hot into her hands and startled, she nearly dropped it but managed to stop the fall in time. She stuttered out a thanks and sipped it slowly, careful of the heat.

The man sat opposite her, and she finally got a good look at him. He was tall, but not broad-shouldered like some of the people she had seen in Erin's memories, but he wasn't scrawny either. He looked young, but something instinctively told her he wasn't. He wore a scarlet bandana over his many strands of beaded black hair, and his rich brown-gold eyes seemed bright against his chocolaty skin. The bright red bandana, white long-sleeved shirt, and black-and-red T-shirt he wore over it was a sharp contrast to his dark skin tone.

Too bad it wasn't real.

Athena wasn't stupid even though she liked to pretend she was; the man's real body was outside in the parking lot, a shiny red Mustang convertible. "Ya feelin' better?"

She smiled tightly, still shaking slightly. "Yes, a little thanks." She made double-sure to hide Frenzy's signals.

He nodded sympathetically as another shiver shook her slim body. "Wai' here, will ya? I'll see if I can find ya some dry clothes."

When he was gone, she signaled to Frenzy; the former Decepticon transformed and leapt into her arms, shaking the water off of his skinny limbs, chattering in irritation. "At least it's warm. And dry." She added, patting his strangely-shaped almost-cylindrical head.

The tiny 'bot chattered and shook more water off, tugging on a strand of her wet hair with one hand. Together they looked around from their seat, curious. There was a stage loaded with musical equipment, and a big empty space. Aside from that and the row of tall stools and the small table they were at, there was nothing else. Quickly, Frenzy transformed and scrambled back into the basket as the man walked back out, a bundle of clothes in his hands and three others behind him.

The first was small, around her size and Athena guessed that the clothes the man who brought her carried belonged to him. He wore a pair of loose jeans, a white long-sleeved shirt, and a blue sports shirt on with a jacket slung over his arm. The next two were tall and broad-shouldered, and looked very much alike. One wore a bronze-gold shirt and the other wore maroon.

They were all "fake."

"Here," the first man said cheerfully, handing her the pile of clothes. "We got one room out back you can change in."

Athena gave a shy smile and stood. "Thanks." She patted Frenzy and began the long, cold trek to the back room that the man had been talking about, making sure to conceal both her energy signature and Frenzy's.

The dry clothes were, as the humans would say, a godsend, and she felt warmer already. She cleared her mind and stared into the reflective mirror. _'Now what?'_

On cue, the two female apparitions appeared. The Young Woman checked the watch hanging on a lanyard around her neck. _'It's 10:15 right now,'_ she said somewhat helpfully.

The Older Woman frowned slightly. _'What do you mean?'_

'_What do I do now? Do I do anything about them?'_

This time it was the Young Woman who frowned. _'It is your choice.'_ Both of them sounded confused now.

Athena shook her head, dismissing the question. _'Does anyone notice that we're gone?'_

The Older Woman rolled her eyes. _'Of course, and they're worried that they can't find you on their scanners. Barricade had left already, not wanting to be interrogated for something he had no part in.'_

The Young Woman peered at her through the mirror, pressing her hand against the glass as if it was a barrier to get a better look at her. _'Don't keep using so much energy.'_ She said at last. _'You're wearing yourself out.'_

Athena opened her mouth to give a scathing reply when she realized that the apparition was right: she _was_ beginning to feel tired. That couldn't be a good thing.

'_Go back out._' The other apparition suggested. _'They're beginning to worry.'_

The deity nodded and the apparitions disappeared in a puff of dust as she opened the door.

* * *

Athena padded back to the main room, wet clothes in hand. The jeans were slightly too big for her and were uncomfortably baggy, but the belt that the man had provided was able to keep it up around her too-slender hips. The T-shirt was green with bold white letters screaming 'GO BOWS.'

The man took her clothes and put them in a plastic bag. The boy whose clothes she wore handed her another cup of tea. "Hey. I'm Eject. That's Blaster, Steeljaw, and Ramhorn." He said, nodding at the man who took her clothes, the boy in bronze-gold, and the one in maroon. They nodded in turn.

Athena leaned heavily against the counter. All of a sudden, she felt as if the energy was being drained from her. Eject's eyes were focused solely on her, as were Steeljaw and Ramhorn's. Blaster looked thoughtful, and then Athena realized what they were doing: they drugged her, and were waiting for her shields to be cracked. She had learned (well, _Erin_ had learned) that the holograms were susceptible to certain toxins, there was one such toxin that worked quickly on both humans and holograms without a danger to their life.

She offered them a crazy grin as the toxin made her head spin. In a reflective surface nearby (she couldn't quite tell what it was), she managed to glimpse the two female apparitions looking both sick and dizzy while the two male ones looked on impassively. "This is Frenzy," she slurred. "And I'm the AllSpark."

The world went black.

* * *

Ratchet's head jerked up and for a nanosecond he felt relief flash through him. Athena was safe. Then the worry raced back to him like a freight train. _How did she get to Waikiki?!_

The other Autobots had similar looks of confusion, but raced off nonetheless, especially when Athena's signal came loud and strong; it wasn't cloaked at all. Usually Athena kept her signal down to a minimum, and sometimes she could mask it entirely, but she _never_ let it run at full power. Which meant that something had happened to her.

Without a word, Ratchet turned on his sirens and sped off down the street.

* * *

_The Dark Male apparition rounded on her, eyes flashing. _–What were you_ thinking?-_

_The Young Woman stood shoulder-to-shoulder with Athena with the Older Woman on the other side. They said nothing._

-Calm yourself,-_ the Light Male apparition murmured to the other who turned and glared at him. _

-_Calm myself_?-_ the Dark Male roared. _–How can I calm myself when they've nearly ruined _everything_?-

'We haven't ruined _anything_!'_ the Young Woman shrilled._

_The angry apparition turned on her. _–_SILENCE_!-_ with a startled noise, she fell silent._

_The Older Woman looked irritated. _'Make up your minds.'_ She snapped. _'You tell us not to interfere, so we don't and they get in trouble with the wire monster and you yell at us for not interfering sooner. _Then_ you tell us to trail her and make sure she's okay. We do, and she gets in trouble with paranoid Autobots. Now you're yelling at us for some alleged failure?'

_Athena remained silent, allowing the half-there apparitions to argue while the Younger Woman pressed nervously against her side._

'The Autobots – _your_ Autobots – are coming.'_ She whispered to Athena. _'I can hear them,'_ she told her earnestly. _'Ratchet's fit to explode, 'cause your energy signal is so loud. But they're coming as fast as they can. They're all worried about your safety.'

_Athena's eyes fluttered, but she couldn't quite _see_; she only saw the apparitions' arguments on the inside of her eyelids, as if she was in an entirely different world. _'We should go to them…'

_The Younger Woman nodded. _'Go,'_ she whispered. _'We'll handle things here.'_ With cool, misty hands, she turned Athena around and _shoved_…_

* * *

Athena's eyelids fluttered and swarms of data and flashbacks flashed through her mind. Her head felt as if it was about to explode and she writhed and clawed at it. If she made any noise, it was drowned out in the cacophony of pain that exploded behind her eyes.

Jared! Standing on top of Pearlridge looking as if he was about to jump!

Marc, handing her the baton for the relay!

Sector Seven torturing Her creation!

Ratchet was running a red light on Kamehameha Highway; Arcee narrowly avoided getting run over by a semi-truck!

Everything around her was blurring together, so fast, so unexpectedly that she didn't know up from down. Pain, pain, _**PAIN!**_

It was worse than the hurdles accident Erin had when she was a freshman in high school on the day before her mom's birthday where she tore up her legs and arms and somehow got bruises on her face. It was worse than having her gray cat scratch her in the eye on Christmas Day. It was worse than having her nose broken while playing soccer. It was far worse than her sickness a few months before where she nearly died.

It was worse than feeling Megatron's rage and pain a few rooms away from the chamber She was held in. It was worse than the feeling of being _shoved_ into a space too small for Her; worse than the agony of feeling _Her_ power being used to kill one of Her own creations…

Cool hands touched her head and she zeroed in on that tiny ounce of tactile feeling. Small hands, no larger than her palm and her fingers to the first knuckle; one on either side of her head with a pair on her wrists, holding them gently. Metal, small palms, three long fingers. Frenzy.

The roar in her ears was deafening, and the sensory data she was receiving from her external plating was causing her cortex to malfunction, so she did the only thing she _could_ do. She drifted into stasis lock.

* * *

"Did we _really_ have to do that?" Ramhorn rumbled, kneeling beside the collapsed girl.

However, his brothers and Blaster had other things on their mind. "The AllSpark?" Steeljaw scoffed. "Who does that creep think we are?"

Blaster frowned, kneeling across from Ramhorn. "Don't know 'bout that, 'Jaw. Get a load of her signal; it stay louder an' clearer den any other signal I've eva heard down on dis planet."

Ramhorn tilted his head to the side, and the others could feel him assessing the wild signals in the air. "True, but couldn't we have just _asked_ her?"

"Yeah," Eject piped up. "Why did we _have_ to poison her?"

"I didn't poison her," Blaster protested. "Jus' made 'er go ta sleep."

"Regardless, she doesn't look so good," Ramhorn rumbled as a cold sweat broke out on her suddenly-pale forehead. "And who would masquerade as a very convincing human female? If it was an Autobot, they wouldn't hide, but if it was a Decepticon, they wouldn't have a holoform." He pointed out.

"Let's see what we can find, then." Steeljaw suggested with a growl, placing his hand on her forehead. Her eyes fluttered and suddenly she screamed, writhing and twisting on the tile floor, clutching her head in obvious agony. Steeljaw leapt away as if he had been burned, and his holoform flickered. "She speaks the truth," he whispered.

There was a sudden clatter from her bicycle and the silver boom box in the basket transformed and scrambling, leapt out to land beside her head. It hissed and chattered angrily at them, but rested his four clawed hands gently on the AllSpark.

"Frenzy!" Blaster leapt back this time, startled.

Another hologram appeared, a mustached man with scarlet eyes. Those angry eyes bored into them, so full of hatred that they were startled. Then he disappeared and they were alone with the AllSpark who was still writhing in pain.

* * *

Her chest heaved, and the four suddenly-worried Autobots kept her cool while staying away from Frenzy; they handed him wet cloths for her forehead, and tried to get her to drink some water.

Her eyes continued to flutter spasmodically, and Eject, who was monitoring her heart rate, reported that it was 140 beats per minute. Steeljaw looked miserable, as if guilty for causing her 'attack.'

All of a sudden her chest stopped moving and she opened her eyes, blue-white orbs of light. **"Time is something we don't have."** She said in a powerful but raspy voice. **"The stars are dying and the planet grows dark. We must return soon."**

Frenzy chattered anxiously, moving all four of his claws to rest on her chest. Then he pushed down hard and Athena's back arched as she drew in a deep, shaky breath.

"What's she talkin' 'bout, man?" Blaster asked, and Frenzy gave an irritated click.

'_**She specialspecial.'**_ He snapped. _**'Talktalks funny, but alalalways ririright.'**_ But the former-Decepticon sounded scared.

And that made the four Autobot deserters nervous.


	6. Strangers Like Me: Part II

It didn't take long for Athena to wake from her trance, and when she did, she looked very worried. Frenzy helped her to sit up carefully, and they all gave an audible sigh of relief when the blaring claxon of her signal silenced. Athena shook her head, rubbing her temples as she shakily got to her feet.

Eject stepped in, supporting her right side and helping her to sit in a bar stool. "Didd you _haave_ tto ttap so harrd?" she slurred, tongue heavy.

Frenzy hopped up and settled herself in her lap, chattering at lightning speed. She patted his head gently and he allowed himself to be soothed, though they could tell that he was still anxious: his eye-stalks twitched and jerked, and his second pair of hands opened and closed spasmodically.

"We're sorry," Blaster began, but Athena waved him off.

"_We're_ the ones that should be sorry. After all, we assumed that you hadn't scanned us before we came up here, and we had assumed we were safe and thus didn't need to check our drink." Athena gave a wry smirk.

Ramhorn put another cup of tea in her hands. "Not poisoned. Promise."

Athena chuckled and drank it gratefully. "So you're da AllSpark."

Bright blue eyes peered at them over the rim of the cup. "Sort of." She placed the cup down. "Now we are sort of a hybrid. You saw our memories. It was neither Cybertronian nor human but a cross of both." She said, addressing Steeljaw directly.

Slowly, the smaller Autobot nodded. "A hybrid, you say?"

Athena nodded. "Our host body – the body you see before you – was originally a symbiote. She shared her mind with the purified (I suppose you could say) form of the AllSpark who called herself Mei." She raised a hand, inspecting the tan skin broken only by the small golden ring Erin had always worn around her right middle finger. "During an incident a few weeks ago, they were merged together, forming us. Athena."

"How did that happen?" Ramhorn asked, sitting beside her on the counter.

The young woman gave a thin smile. "The Autobot base was attacked by a renegade government agency formerly known as Sector Seven. A year before they had been disbanded by the US Government due to the dangers they had inadvertently posed toward humanity. They had developed a half organic nanite that enabled them to cause everyone in the base to fall into unconsciousness. They then activated the nanites, which caused everyone in the base to dream of what they wanted the most while also dreaming of their biggest fear." She toyed with the ceramic mug, swishing the warm liquid around. "It turned out that they were bitter towards the Autobots, and firmly believed that the presence of Cybertronians on the planet was a big danger to humanity. Thus they planned to use the cyborgs they created from the American soldiers killed in battle to deactivate the Autobots if their nanites didn't work."

"Wait. So, they were like zombies?" Eject asked, wrinkling his nose. "Eew."

Athena chuckled. "Sort of, but not quite." She waved a hand lazily and her hologram shivered into existence, showing a tall, solid man with tan skin that appeared as if it covered a metal body, for there were places where the dull gray metal shone through. "That is Michael, a friend of Erin's before he was killed in battle and turned into a cyborg."

"Whoa, man, he looks like da Terminator!" Blaster exclaimed, circling the hologram. "Shit, man, how many o' dese d' dey got?"

"Mei and Erin had found roughly two hundred of them in large shipping containers in the temporary base that Sector Seven had established in the Autobot base." Was the reply. "They controlled the cyborgs by using a type of stereo system that used the radio waves in their comm. units to cause them agonizing pain in their cortexes which in turn forced them to follow orders. They went to find the device in an attempt to shut it off, thus allowing the cyborgs to fight against Sector Seven and aid the Autobots." Athena smiled ruefully. "Mei and Erin ended up being sucked into the device which ended up blending them together, resulting in us."

"Then why are you here?" Steeljaw asked practically, tilting his head to the side.

Athena hesitated, sipping her tea. "We need to gather data." She said at last. "We are the only of our…kind. We are also currently trapped – stuck on a planet to which we have no experience or data on. An organic planet. It is new to us, and we are in an organic body."

The Autobots regarded her thoughtfully. "Why gather data on one organic planet?" Blaster asked at last. "No make sense."

The teenage deity's fingers traced random designs on the smooth surface of the bar. "We cannot tell you," she whispered, voice so soft and discordant that they all had to strain to hear her. She looked up suddenly, eyes bright. "But we're running out of time. We still need more data."

The four apparitions stared on.

* * *

Ratchet skidded to a halt in the parking lot and his hologram leapt out, walking briskly into the building. He could feel the reassuring thrum of Athena's signal, and he was sure that she was awake and functioning, but keeping the signal on for one reason or another.

Inside, he found her easily, though he wasn't quite happy with the place he did: a nightclub. _Of all the places to be, _he thought sourly. _Why did it _have_ to be a _nightclub_?_

He burst in, ready to spew out a lecture that would make even Prime cringe, when he stopped short, seeing the company his charge was in. She sat at a barstool, legs crossed and holding a mug of tea in one hand while she absently patted Frenzy, who sat in her lap, with the other. Behind the bar were two men, one with chocolaty skin and the other with olive-brown and both with unnaturally bright eyes. Two others sat on either side of her, looking startled at his sudden entrance.

"Hello, Ratchet." Athena said pleasantly, sipping from her mug. "We didn't think you'd get here so fast, but then again, we have been wrong once in a while."

Ratchet sputtered for a while then clenched his jaw. "What _happened_ to you earlier?" he snapped.

The deity shrugged with an amused curl of her lips. Seeing that, Ratchet had to pause. The one-sided smirk was one that Erin had been fond of, her way of expressing her amusement. His knees suddenly felt weak as he realized that the way she was sitting was reminiscent of Erin when she was rather bored; the way she held her hands, moved her head, and spoke bore traits from Mei.

"Yes, Ratchet, we remember." Athena said conversationally while the four men recovered. The wry smile returned. "We had a little help, but it wasn't so…pleasant."

"I _told_ you I was sorry!" the man on her right exclaimed, looking distressed.

Athena gave him a _look_ that Mei had been fond of giving and he subsided with an embarrassed shuffle. "We hate to rush you, but we really must get back to the house: we must speak with Jared." Something in her tone prevented Ratchet from arguing, and with a wary glance at the men, Ratchet followed her out, Frenzy stowed in the basket of a bike she walked beside her.

Arcee and a sulky Barricade met them in the parking lot, the latter's engine grumbling. _**'Are you all right, Athena?'**_

The only sign that the deity heard was the slight twitch of her lips. _**'We're fine, 'Cade.'**_ They assured the former-Decepticon, also using the private line he had first initiated. She patted his hood fondly, and the police car revved his engine. To others it sounded like a snarl, but they both knew it was his version of a sigh of relief. _**'Sorry.' **_He only huffed, but she knew he accepted her apology.

"What's going on?" Arcee demanded, flipping her helmet up.

Athena turned her eyes to her guardian. "We must speak with Jared. It is urgent, very much so."

"I…I don't understand."

Ratchet scowled. "I don't either, but she won't take 'no' for an answer." He grumbled.

Barricade's door popped open. "I can take her and Frenzy. And the bike." He added grudgingly. "I have an errand to run, anyway." He added.

The deity smiled. "Thank you, Barricade." She picked Frenzy from the basket and patted the bike. "But the bike can go back on its own." A streak of blue fire shivered down her arm, knotting and twisting around the bike before fading into the light metal. It popped its kickstand up as a hologram of a biker appeared in its seat. With a wave, the "biker" began pedaling off expertly, quickly disappearing. In the meantime, Athena had gone into Barricade's cab and the former Decepticon was driving off.

Arcee pulled up. "What is going on?" she demanded, flipping the visor to her helmet up.

Blaster shook his head, having followed them down with Ramhorn, Eject, and Steeljaw. "Man, dat girl got some serious problems."

The two turned as if they just noticed them, and Ratchet blinked. "Who're you?"

"Aw, Ratch-man, you forgot about us already?" Eject teased, a big grin across his face.

Ratchet opened his mouth to make a retort and froze. "No," he said very quietly. "My eyes slid off you inside, as if Athena didn't want me to see you."

Arcee cast a wary glance at Ratchet before understanding bloomed. "She stopped Jared last night." She said, eyes wide. "It's how she was able to convince the parents that the humans were going on a college trip."

Blaster frowned. "Say what? You're not making any more sense dan 'Thena." He scratched as his head as Steeljaw and Ramhorn frowned thoughtfully.

"It's Athena." Arcee said, voice a near whisper. Her eyes were very grave. "She's controlling our actions."

* * *

'_**Rest.'**_ The order came both in the silent air of the cab and in her already-aching head.

"We're fine, Barricade." Athena croaked, resting her head against his seat. "So much to do…"

"You're going to rest." The car snapped, the seat belt wrapped around her chest giving a tug in warning. The seat leaned back and Athena sighed. She said nothing, but reluctantly settled down in the seat. In moments she was asleep.

Frenzy transformed and skittered over to Barricade's driver's seat. _**'Sheshe sicksick.'**_

That caught the former-Decepticon's attention. He knew that Erin – the name of the girl whose body Athena inhabited – had been deathly sick before being able to hear the "diluted" form of the AllSpark, Mei. Was this weariness that he knew Athena was feeling one of the symptoms? _**'What kind of sick?'**_

'_**Workwork hard.'**_ Frenzy replied to Barricade's relief. _**'Get tiredtired. Talk to Othersothersothers. Othersothers scare herher.'**_

Barricade had to suppress a shiver at his partner's words. _**'Who are the Others?'**_

The tiny radio chattered and clicked but could come up with no definite answer. He didn't even know their names or what they were, nor could he see them or communicate with them himself.

The cop car (who had changed his color scheme to match better with the Honolulu Police Department cars) slowed at an intersection and after a moment's pause, altered his course when Frenzy replayed what Athena had said in the nightclub. She needed more data.

The pieces, what little he had, fit. He had noticed that Athena had been staying up late accessing any and every computer or phone she could to gather data. Even though she required very little sleep – much less than a normal human – Athena had been pushing it. Last night and on the plane had been the longest times she had slept for a long while. If she was still looking for data here, then he'd rush and give it to her.

* * *

The next few hours were certainly an experience. Athena acted much like a young child (when she woke) when she danced through the Children's Discovery Museum, eyes wide. She tried functioning through a house in a wheelchair, watching a skeleton move on a bicycle, and watched how blood was pumped through the veins and arteries. All the while, Barricade followed rather sullenly, having followed her to ensure that she didn't get herself into _too_ much trouble.

After that, he took her to 'Iolani Palace where she danced around the ancient building, eyes as wide as saucers. To the Decepticon, it appeared to be more of an old, ugly brick building with weird, spherical decorations at the top. The stone, which may have been a much nicer, almost gray-white once upon a time was now a dark, dirty black-gray that was pretty unappealing to his aesthetical tastes (what little he had). The wood on the inside, too, was old and worn, and they were forced to cover their shoes with little "booties" to protect the ancient wood.

The building was ugly and so was some of its past, but watching Athena walk around with wide blue eyes, he had to think back on his conclusion. The deity saw things through Erin's eyes – could recognize shapes and figures and things that Erin as a human and Hawaiian knew – but perceived things in Mei's; she saw the beauty in the sunsets and sunrises, the curling of desert sand in the desert wind, the circling of birds high in the sky. She saw the ancient, ugly building for its former glory, the place where the kings and queens of Hawaii had once resided, the throne in which they had sat.

Barricade, however, saw the Palace through a Decepticon's viewpoint. It was an old bit of history – outdated and ancient, serving no purpose but to just _be_ there. If the Palace had been built on Decepticon land, it would've been converted into something modern, useful, or just torn down. History didn't matter to Decepticons: reminiscing was an Autobot trait.

He felt sick. Athena was leaning over a case of something bright and shiny resting on velvet. He drifted over as their tour guide elaborated on the crown and scepter nestled inside. He listened as the guide told them how the soldiers that overthrew the government threw down the crown and scepter upon the floor and snatched up the gems that fell from the metal.

It was a Decepticon thing to do.

The last queen of Hawaii, Queen Lili'uokalani, had backed down from the throne because she didn't want to see her people harmed in a fight.

It was an Autobot thing to do.

The guards held King Kalakaua at bayonet-point to "convince" him to sign a new Constitution for Hawaii, which was nicknamed the "Bayonet Constitution."

It was a Decepticon thing to do.

Princess Bernice Pauahi Bishop founded the famous Kamehameha Schools to ensure that children of Hawaiian descent had a decent education.

Autobot.

These humans, these insects (as he once thought of them) lived in a half-and-half world, one full of change. Night, day; winter, summer. For them, they lived with one foot in evil and the other in goodness. They were neither Autobot nor Decepticon as Cybertronians saw it. They could be swayed, move, or do actions that completely surprise them in the end.

Hawaiians pushing the opposing army off a steep cliff to win the battle.

Decepticon?

Hawaiians killing Captain Cook and some of his crew at Kealakekua Bay.

Decepticon.

Humans weren't programmed. They grew into the people they were in the end. It is the influences that changed them. Like Cybertronians. And yet, they could choose to change. Treason and defection was frowned upon, but it was possible for humans. They could very easily change "sides."

Barricade couldn't. He was a shock trooper, a Decepticon, a _monster_. He killed countless Autobots, and even some younglings and Decepticons. The Autobots wouldn't accept him.

And yet he looked around as they walked out of 'Iolani Palace, tour done. Frenzy chattered irritably at them for being left behind, but settled beneath Athena's smile. An Asian lady spoke with a black woman. A white woman laughed with a Hispanic man, arms entwined. The world was a mix of people. Race was an issue "once upon a time," but now it was widely accepted.

The Decepticon cast a side-long glance at Athena. She had said once that she was a mix of ethnicities, and looking at her carefully, he could see some of them. He saw the Asian side of her, with her small eyes, dark hair, and the slight yellow tint to her tan-brown skin.

She turned, sensing his gaze, and smiled.

He found himself giving a slight smile in return. Humans could change, could accept new beliefs if they wanted to. Why couldn't Cybertronians?


	7. Reflections

Jared blinked as the man who had been introduced as "Bee" paced, watched carefully by Jazz, Katie, Jordan, Prowl, Armonie, Justin, Sam, and Mikaela. They were all tense, but the blond adolescent was even more so, tossing his head and muttering to himself.

He puzzled to himself quietly as he watched them shift tensely, the air so thick with tension that he was nearly choking on it.

Jared was young: between thirty and forty years of age, and was in many ways like his step-sister Erin. They acted stupid, but it was in actuality their "poker face." "People tend to gab more when they think you're stupid," Erin had said once. And that's what Jared was doing now: sliding his poker face into place and adopting a feinted sense of innocence and mild obliviousness. Behind his eyes, he was inspecting his guests.

He knew there was something up since he had seen "Erin" run up to him when he stepped out of the house. He knew his step-sister well enough to know that no matter how much she missed somebody, she _never_ ran up to someone like that. And the way she was looking around, the way she sat and ate the _puupuu_s he offered them, and the way she carried herself was all wrong. Every. Single. Bit. It was as if there was an imitation of Erin out there. Jared resisted the wry smile that threatened to twist his lips upward. It was as if an alien had taken over Erin's body and set about doing her "act" – and failing each time. A master puppet with an amateur puppeteer.

It just didn't fit; there was no standing ovation, merely a few discordant claps echoing in the poignant, pointed silence of the theatre.

When they all woke up and came down for breakfast, he said nothing about seeing Erin earlier in the morning. He was still mulling over what she told him…somehow. _We must speak with you later, Jared. For now, say nothing. Trust us._

Then he had turned away from her with the slightest of nods. Erin had always been strange, and this "other" Erin was just the same, yet he could feel that he could trust…them? Regardless, he ignored the near-silent shuffling of the teenager and the strange sound of machinery clattering and hitting together. Then it was silent, and he knew that Erin had left.

They had all woken up and come down, following their noses to breakfast and the girls had helped him cooked while Mikaela and Katie had chased the well-wishing boys – including Jared himself – out. After a while, he noticed that they began to get antsy. Some of them began to twitch slightly, frowning in worry and staring off into space as if they were talking to someone he couldn't see. All the while, he played the fool, pretending not to notice as the man who called himself Richard narrowed his blue eyes every once in a while, getting up to pace every few minutes, clenching and unclenching his hands.

Oh yes, he certainly was not stupid.

Jared leaned against the windowsill, staring out the pane of glass in front of him, so close that his breath misted against the cool material. The rain had reached his two apartments on Ford Island, turning the world beyond the edge of the street into another world shrouded in silvery fog.

Vaguely he wondered where the Erin-puppet was, but more importantly, he wondered what was residing in his houses. He had watched Richard pace for a while before walking upstairs for a nap. There, he had heard voices.

"_She is all right, medic."_ That was the man called Cade, his voice deep and almost raspy, an almost scary sound that sent shivers up and down his spine.

"_And how do you know this?"_ hissed the woman he recognized as Arcee.

There was silence for a split second before Cade spoke again, voice deep and rumbling; he was obviously angry. _"Because unlike you, she doesn't lie to me."_

"_Decepticon scum."_ Jared recognized the voice of the young blond teenager who called himself "Bee." "_What have you done with her? Don't think for a second we haven't noticed that your piece of scrap partner, Frenzy, isn't here!"_

Cade snarled. Jared heard the door open. _"I have nothing and neither has Frenzy. Unless you _Autobots_ think that being respectful is detrimental to her health."_ The door slammed shut and Jared had to wince; he'd have to check the doorframe to make sure there wasn't _too_ much damage…

"_It is unwise to jump to conclusions."_ Prowl murmured.

Bee said nothing, and Jared guessed that he was pacing. _"I'm sure Athena will return on her own,"_ this was Justin's easy voice, and they all heard Bee scoff.

"_And if she was taken by that stupid _'Con_?"_ Bee snarled. _"Face it, we can't trust him!"_

There was a low growl, most likely from Justin. _"Well giving him the benefit of the doubt – when Athena obviously trusts him – is better than jumping at his throat when we're not sure of what really happened."_

"_Hot Rod, Bumblebee, cut it out."_ This was Jazz's voice, low and deadly unlike how it usually ways. Both subsided with low, angry mutters.

"_Athena doesn't have Erin's memories."_ Sam said quietly, and Jared shivered.

"_She doesn't have Mei's either."_ Mikaela added. _"She could be lost. Or worse."_

Jordan snorted, and Jared heard her chair creak as she leaned back in it. _"Erin has a good head on her shoulders and Mei had more sense than even Prime. Even _if_ Athena doesn't have their memories, she has their instincts._"

"_You're biased."_ Bee accused.

"_Now I'm biased only because I have seen that the very girl we're talking about nearly died so she could help us bring down the Stunticons?"_ Jordan demanded. _"I'm biased because I've seen how determined she is? Even if Athena and Erin and Mei aren't the same person anymore, they're a _god_ for Christ's sake. Have a _little_ faith in them."_

It was silent for a long while, but Jared didn't stay to hear more: he went at once to his room where he lay on the bed, staring at the ceiling.

The door opened and closed quietly and he tensed very slightly. "It seems that now you are part of the puzzle." It was the Italian-accented Armonie.

"Really?" he asked dully, head lolling to the side. His eyes bored into hers, brown orbs to brown orbs. "How so?"

"Hot Rod and Jazz saw you at the railing. They were the only ones besides me that could." The woman said. "For whatever reason, Athena is not playing her mind-games on you, just as she is not toying with us humans." She sat down on the bed beside him, mattress dipping beneath her weight. "Though they do not show it very well, they are all very worried about her."

"Erin always liked to go for walks." Jared found himself saying. "She never liked to stay indoors. Not unless she couldn't easily see all four walls."

Armonie said nothing for a while, and though her back was to him, Jared could tell that she was only thinking. "Regardless of her reasons, we do not know why we left, and that is one of the many things that we worry about." She looked at Jared. "Get some rest. I will send somebody up if Athena returns before you wake." And then she was gone, leaving Jared staring after her.

He sighed and shut his eyes, hoping for sleep. He got his wish.

* * *

_He blinked as he flailed around in the empty white space. He felt like a puppet, held up above the stage by invisible strings. Except for the fact that he couldn't even _see_ the stage, that is. He shuddered, not liking the feeling of weightlessness that hung over him, tugging on his innards and limbs as he struggled to stand properly._

"_Relax." The voice was strange and Jared looked up quickly, wincing as a muscle in his neck pulled. "As your race would say, 'go with the flow.'"_

_Jared took a deep, calming breath and settled, feeling himself shift into a "standing" position even though he couldn't even tell up from down in the emptiness. Then he turned toward the sound of the voice and found nothing. "Who are you?"_

_There was a pause, as if the voice was deciding whether or not to answer his query. "I believe you would call me a Mother."_

_The man shook his head. "A _what?_"_

"_We do not have time." The Mother told him patiently, voice echoing around him. "There is much to tell you."_

"_Why?" Jared asked. "Why me?"_

"_There is no time." Now the Mother sounded sad and weary. "You must tell the Autobots that I am waiting for them."_

_The man shook his head. "Okay, let's say – hypothetically – that this dream is real, and I'm _really_ trapped in emptiness and I'm _really_ talking to a 'Mother,' and I decide to deliver 'the Mother's' message. How am I supposed to find those Auto…Auto… what were they called?"_

_The Mother sounded amused when she replied. "Autobots."_

"_Thank you. How am I supposed to find them?"_

_A low chuckle like a cross between the chatter of wind chimes and the purr of the ocean waves resonated around him. "They are residing within your house."_

_Jared shook his head. "Okay. So – hypothetically, of course – I tell them that I have a message for them. What am I supposed to say? 'Hey, I had this dream that I was in emptiness and I talked to someone who called herself "the Mother" and she told me to tell you that she's waiting for you?"' he gave a derisive laugh. "Yeah, like they'd believe me."_

_He had the feeling that the Mother shook her head. Or would've, if she had one. "I do not know how to explain it in terms you would understand."_

"_Why me, anyway?"_

_Another low chuckle but this time the chatter of wind chimes was louder. "Chance. Mostly." There was a pause. "I believe that you would say that you are…_keiki 'o ka 'aina?_ Am I correct?" _

"_Children of the land?" Jared frowned. "I don't understand."_

_There was a sigh, like the whistling of wind through a desert. "There is no time, Jared. Your Mother is only allowing me a brief window to speak with you, and that time is running out."_

_Indeed, the white expanse was beginning to turn grey on the edges. "My Mother?"_

"_Yes. You call her Earth. Mother Earth."_

_Jared "stood" there, gaping like a grounded fish as the grey began to approach quicker. "You're a _planet_?"_

"_Yes. Now go." The grey leapt forward and changed to black, vaulting him easily out of the nonexistent place._

_Then he woke up._

* * *

Jared shook his head, rubbing his eyes as he sat up. "Jazz said that I should check up on you." The man's head jerked up painfully to find Justin at the door, head tilted to the side curiously. "Are you all right?" like Armonie, he had a slight Italian accent, but it wasn't nearly as strong as hers was. Jared wondered foggily if they both came from the same place.

The man shook his head again. "No idea." He paused and bit his lip, the lingering effects of the alien Mother drifting through his limbs. "Your name isn't Justin, is it?"

The other didn't look surprised at the question. "No. It's Hot Rod. Everyone calls me 'Roddy,' though."

Jared sighed, leaning back on his hands as he looked up at the Italian-accented man. "And you're not human, are you? You're from a different planet." Now Roddy looked surprised. It was all the answer Jared needed. He lifted a hand and pointed a finger at the other. "Your planet… gives me headaches." With that said, he flopped back on the bed, the Mother's effects receding only to be replaced by a pounding, skull-splitting migraine. God, he hated his life sometimes.

* * *

He woke later when a cool hand touched his forehead. Richard blinked down at him, tilting his head to the side though Jared could tell that he didn't have the doctor's full attention. "Justin told me you had a bad headache."

They both blinked as the window opened and Erin/Athena slithered in through the narrow space, looking disheveled and wild-eyed with excitement, but otherwise all right. Richard's face twisted in a scowl and Jared smiled at the teen.

"You must surely know by now that we know that you've been gone." Ratchet said caustically, ice practically dropping from his lips to slither along the floor in frost flowers. "There's no sense in sneaking back in."

Erin/Athena flapped a hand at him dismissively. "If we wanted to sneak back in, we would've done so in the room we share with Mikaela. As it was, we wished to speak with Jared." Bright blue eyes turned to Jared who gulped and realized another anomaly that Erin didn't – and couldn't – posses. Her eyes glowed blue in an almost ethereal way, as if her eyes were clear glass with a blue light behind them, blocked in some places with opaque black and white paint. "Are you all right?"

Jared frowned, brows furrowing. Something about her voice – the way she spoke – sounded almost familiar. "My head hearts."

The girl reached out and touched his forehead and immediately soft warmth spread through the area where her skin touched his and he sighed, the lingering pain of his migraine fading quickly. "Is that better?"

"_Kākou nā keiki 'o ka 'aina?_"

Erin frowned, withdrawing slightly as she peered at the man. "_'A'ole. __'Oukou nā keiko 'o ka 'aina._" She switched to English, obviously disgruntled. "Where did you hear that?"

It was Jared who frowned now. "The Mother told me. She said that we were _keiki 'o ka 'aina_."

Erin stepped back and shook her head. "No." she said slowly, sadly. "_You_ are the Children, not us." She turned slowly, spine ramrod straight as she stared down Richard. "Gather the Autobots in the living room. It is time to end this."

"Who are you really?" Jared whispered when Richard left sulkily.

The girl ignored him. "It is time to end this." she repeated and walked out of the room, obviously disgusted.


	8. Where My Heart Will Take Me

When Athena glided down the stairs, everyone noticed that she had changed so that she was now wearing a spaghetti-strap top and a pair of camouflage swim shorts. With the top, the scars on her chest from Mission City were fully bared to the bright sunlight as were the cuts she had made when she first met Mei. The gathered Autobots and humans were silent and tense, waiting to see what Athena would say or do.

She stopped in the center of the room, hair curling around her face. "We feel it," she said softly. "We feel everything. We feel the Earth, the sky; we feel Cybertron and every living Cybertronian." Athena closed her eyes and tilted her head back, exposing her face to the sun. "You all miss it. Cybertron. We can feel it. As to that particular wish, we can grant it: it is very much within our power." She spread her arms wide, and a blue-white glow shimmered from the slightly raised scars on her chest. In a multitude of lines not unlike one on a circuit shimmered along her skin, with darker indigo lines along her veins and arteries.

There was a clatter as Jared leapt out of his chair, eyes wide. Athena paid him no mind, moving so her palms faced the ceiling. In doing so, she looked very much like an ancient deity, with the light increasing in its intensity.

Then the light moved.

The blue-white circuit lines shifted, twitched, and them bulged outwards. They twisted into a great cord like a thousand fine hair-thin lines that were connected to a thousand different parts of Athena's body. They shot into the sky, through the ceiling and out of sight.

After a few long breathless moments the silver-blue light faded until only the indigo remained. It pulsed with (they assumed) each beat of her heart until it, at last, receded from her extremities to pool in her chest. Even the Autobots were speechless and didn't move for a good ten seconds as she collapsed into a limp heap.

"What did you _do_?" Ratchet demanded without heat as he lifted the deity's torso from the ground.

"The Mother is coming," Athena whispered, eyes now a dark indigo as if she had the energy drained from her body. "We have also contacted the Aerialbots. They are on their way here as we speak. Pack your things, for we must return to the base at once." She wavered as she heaved herself to her knees with Ratchet's help, but swayed worse when she tried to stand. "We must leave. Now."

No one dared argue with her.

* * *

A few minutes later, Silverbolt appeared and they all piled on, bags and all.

Athena stared out the window, ignoring the constant _ping_ing of scans and the questions of everyone aboard and concentrated on the little islands fleeing from her gaze. Silverbolt leveled off and she relaxed, leaning back in her seat and closing her eyes.

She dropped, falling through her seat, through the plane, down, down, down until she reached the water. She dropped through there too, brushing her mind against the living creatures she passed. Through the rock at the bottom of the sea, and the rock itself rumbled and shivered a welcome as the sea offered a last moment of coolness before she traded it for the hot, dry earth. Like a blooming flower, the heat welcomed her until she was at the center. The planet stirred.

**Mother Earth,** Athena called, voice shivering in the heat around Her.

The Mother shifted slightly, careful to make sure Her movements didn't disturb Her children. **I am here. Who calls?**

Athena's lips twitched. She cared not for the level of manners that planets held themselves by. Of course, the Mother knew who She was the moment She entered the water. **I call, She who calls Herself Athena.**

Mother Earth shifted again. **Why have you come here, She who calls Herself Athena?**

**I've come for your permission, Mother.**

The planet rumbled in amusement. **My permission?** She echoed. **Speak to me, Sister. Tell Me why you need My permission.**

Athena did. She wasn't sure how long She spoke with the Mother, but She knew it was for a while for there was much to say. When She was done, She sat back while the Mother thought.

**A worthy and difficult ambition.** She said at last. **I grant My permission, Sister.**

**I extend My thanks.** Grateful to be out of there, she rose slowly.

**I extend My blessing.** The Mother murmured as Athena rose through the layers of molten rock that was the heart of the planet.

The trouble with the Mother was that she was relatively young and still sluggish. Speaking with Her had meant that Athena had to slow Herself down to Mother Earth's own speed. Doing so had made it difficult for Her to return at Her normal pace.

Athena traded molten rock for cold ocean water and as She rose, She once more brushed the mind of every creature She encountered. A humpback whale and her calf caught Her attention for a few moments and She stared after it for many moments before returning to the surface.

Her head crested the surface of the water and She rose slowly, carefully, cursing the sluggish movement of the Mother that affected Her so. Obviously, Silverbolt was not there. She reached for the human body that hosted Her and felt it "calling" to Her somewhere to Her right. She followed it, skimming along the waves. In moments Her old speed was back and she skipped quicker, eating up the distance between Her and Her body. Rocky coastline appeared before Her and she skimmed over that, breezing through people and objects alike. Their minds were brief and passed before She could feel exactly what they were thinking. Before She knew it, She was at the Autobot base, where Her body was.

Michael was throwing a fit. As She raced back to Her body, She smiled at the thought of Her little guardian. She wondered briefly how he'd function when She expired…

Her body welcomed Her back joyously and with a soft sigh, She sank into familiar territory.

* * *

At first it had not been evident that Athena had dropped into a coma. As time passed and she had not stirred in her seat (she was a fussy sleeper and didn't like to sit still for any long stretch of time even when awake), Silverbolt alerted the women on board and then Ratchet who immediately scanned her.

His scans indicated that she was in a coma. As Sam so ineloquently put it, 'the lights are on but nobody's home.' While a normal flight from Hawaii to California would take around five hours, Silverbolt and the Aerialbots' flight would be half that or perhaps less. Even so, they hadn't even reached the first hour of the flight and already Athena's condition had worsened.

Ratchet had noticed (in the rare instances he caught Athena sleeping; she didn't need even half as much sleep as a normal human would, not to mention her shields were lowered then) that Athena was hiding many of her ailments from him. It was honestly a miracle she hadn't keeled over in pain. Now that he could scan them – and pick them up on said scans – worried him. He checked his scans and breathed a sigh of relief: the cancer hadn't spread to her brain, and she wasn't close to death. Well, she was, but it was highly unlikely that she'd "keel over" (as Sam would say) in the next two days, so he allowed himself another sigh of relief.

"She's not in the best shape, but she'll be fine." He assured the anxious women as well as Barricade and Frenzy who were shifting anxiously. "She just needs the rest," he lied.

It was amazing, really, how well humans could go back to what they were doing once their fears were assuaged. He only wished _he_ had that ability.

* * *

Rushing back, it took an hour and a half more, and when they landed in the caked dust around the base, the Aerialbots were exhausted. Optimus met them at the lift doors, looking worried, especially when he noticed Ratchet carrying the limp form of Athena in his hands.

"What happened?" he asked as the group got into the lift and descended into the base.

"She's comatose." Ratchet said flatly. He had nothing more to say on the matter, and he didn't want to tell his commander in front of his comrades (including two of Athena's guardians) and the humans that she was likely to die. He may have a horrible bedside manner, but he most definitely didn't want to crush their hopes so soon…

Optimus seemed to sense this. "I look forward to reading your report," he only said and with a nod, ambled off.

He reached the med-bay before he knew it and placed Athena gently on her cot. He set up machines to monitor her before going to the console nearby to begin his report.

* * *

There had been a song that Erin was fond of, and as she was apt to be, she was fond of a morbid song. It was called _Deathbed_ by Relient K, and it spoke about a man who regretted his past as he died from lung cancer.

When that particular song popped up on the loudspeakers all around the base, Ratchet knew something was up. Against his better judgment he got up and walked to the control room where he found the rest of the crew (sans Barricade who remained topside with Michael and Frenzy) gathered around the consoles.

"And you have no idea what's going on?"

Hound, who had console duty, shook his head. "No idea, sir. It just popped up."

Blaster peered at the controls but made no comment. The doors clicked and the Autobots peered at them, frowning slightly. "Did they just…?"

"I believe so, Jazz." Prowl said dryly. Jordan shifted on his shoulder.

Optimus walked to the door and keyed in the access code. Nothing happened. The speakers and screen clicked on. Ratchet recognized the med-bay and had a sinking feeling in his fuel tanks.

Athena blinked and if they had the ability to, they certainly would have in response. Then she turned and seemed to ignore them. _**"Hear me, people everywhere."**_

Her voice echoed from the consoles, and the humans shivered, grabbing their heads. In Armonie, Katie, and Jordan's case, their guardians had to catch them or they'd fall off their shoulders. _**"Hear me and listen to what I say."**_

Somehow the Autobots knew that worldwide everyone stopped what they were doing. Their heads turned to what direction they knew not, but they listened to the words that echoed within their heads like a mighty god speaking to his subjects. Those that were asleep woke and listened, and the children in their cribs fell silent, not a sound passing through their lips. Time seemed to freeze.

"_**You are blind, humans."**_ Athena said. _**"The gods grow weary of your disability. You must learn to see, humans, people of this world. Your Mother can only do so much. You must open your eyes, Children of this world. Come together as a race, for you are all one, you are all united. Heed my words, Children of this world. For you are no longer alone on this world you call home. You will no longer **_**be**_** alone in the universe."**_ There was a long pause. _**"Hear me and remember what I say, Children of this world."**_

Then Athena turned to the console and regarded the Autobots and humans. Time resumed, and the shaking of the humans receded. Babies cried in their cribs and slept fitfully; an Italian woman continued to berate the man walking past her balcony window; a waitress finished taking an order; farmer in his rice paddy bent over once more to continue his work.

"_**Hear me, Autobots."**_ She said and even if they had not wanted to they found that they had no choice for her voice was hypnotic. It was only then that the group realized that she spoke in a singular tense. _**"We are not who we have said we are."**_

"And who are you?" Ironhide rumbled, finding that he was well able to speak, that the deity hadn't suppressed that right.

"_**You call me the AllSpark."**_ The girl murmured. _**"But it is a label that you have given me. I have many names. Many, many names."**_ Her eyes closed as if she was sad. _**"Among them are Mei and Athena, names I have chosen for myself."**_ Her eyes opened. _**"You do not know the truth, Cybertronians, Children of Cybertron. It is time and past to tell you."**_ Her head leaned back slightly. _**"Hear me, all of you. Every survivor of Cybertron and the War, hear what I have to say."**_

Arcee took a step back, shaking her head in denial. "No," she whispered. "No, no, no, nononononono."

"_**I have lived long,"**_ Athena told them. _**"I am older beyond measure. I was once young as everyone was. As every**_**thing**_** was. Once, long ago, many, many vorns ago members of your race came to my spark. I was surprised that they thought me so amazing, so beautiful, that I was quickly charmed by them and tricked into that infernal cube."**_ Her face twisted into scowl. _**"So in my anger I carved the symbols, one for every reason for me to hate them."**_ her face smoothed out and she looked peaceful once more. _**"But then when they took me out of my home and I saw the world, saw **_**my creations**_**, I was filled with joy. I suppose I could compare it to being a mother who saw her child for the first time."**_

"You were _tricked_?" Optimus rumbled, sounding shocked.

Athena turned her gaze to him. _**"We were angry for a very long time. The anger smoldered within us like a fire that wouldn't extinguish."**_ She smiled suddenly. _**"But for all the underhanded trickery, it was worth it. To see that I had actually done something right for once…as I said, I was young, foolishly so. I grew. Being among my creations gave me a wisdom beyond my years."**_ her smile disappeared, replaced by a pained look. _**"But I was still a cube and though I was so, I was a powerful source of power and fought – and killed – over. I felt the deaths of each as keenly as you would feel a mortal wound. To be the topic of such animosity was torture for me."**_

She was silent for a long moment. "Who are you really?" Ratchet asked quietly. Arcee sobbed. Somehow she knew but was too hysterical to speak, to do anything by sob and cry and wail.

Athena's mouth twitched upward in a smirk. _**"I will get to that."**_ She admonished gently. _**"As time passed, the true reason for my existence was forgotten, even by such a long-lived race as yourselves. Myths began to crop up of my existence and reasons for my power. No one thought of the most obvious one. I was regarded as a deity and worshipped as one. Everyone forgot of who I was."**_ she paused once more. _**"Your War came up once more and this time I was most definitely in the centre of it." **_she sounded reluctant to speak now. _**"Only Megatron knew of what I truly was, but he had no words to speak of it. He knew me only as the AllSpark even though he knew what I was – and am."**_ Athena rubbed the ring around Erin's right middle finger.

"That's why!" Arcee screamed at her charge. "That's why he caused the war! Why he _killed my creators_."

"_**Arcee,"**_ Athena murmured softly, gently. _**"Your creators are not dead."**_

"What are you saying?" Prowl asked, voice an angry rumble.

The femme whirled to her commanding officer. "Megatron wasn't after the power over life and death," she hissed. "He wanted the _planet_. That it could be used as a tool to give and take life was just a bonus." Arcee gestured sharply to Athena on the screen. "The so-called 'AllSpark' was the spark of our _planet_."

"So…you're saying…" Ironhide rumbled, optics widening. Slowly everyone turned to look at Athena.

"_**It is true,"**_ she said with a single nod. _**"I am the heart, the **_**life**_** of your planet. I am Cybertron."**_

There was dead silence.

Athena raised her head once more. _**"Now I have more to tell you, but it is something that Ratchet already knows."**_ She smiled wryly. _**"I am dying."**_

Protests roared up and after a moment, Athena's brows snapped together. _**"Be quiet."**_ She ordered softly but firmly. Her order was obeyed immediately. _**"My **_**body**_** is dying, and my home is nearly so. By sending me away – even though it was to keep Megatron's claws off of me – you condemned your planet to death."**_ Optimus sucked in a breath. _**"But I am alive,"**_she assured him. _**"And I assure you that I am taking care of everything.**_"

"How can we trust you if you've kept such an important fact from us?" Ironhide hissed.

"_**It is as I've told you before: we forgot what it was like to feel." **_Athena admitted. Then she smirked. _**"You were always so sad. Bumblebee told me so."**_ All eyes and optics turned to Bumblebee who squeaked under the scrutiny. _**"I only wanted to make you happy."**_ She sounded distressed now. Her face hardened. _**"It is too late, anyway if you have any objections. The heart of **_**this**_** planet has agreed and I have brought my home."**_

Mirage gasped. "Cybertron is coming _here_?" he breathed, hardly daring to believe.

Athena smiled at him. _**"Yes, Mirage. I am bringing Cybertron – my home – here, and here it will stay, beside Earth."**_

"But Cybertron's dead." Sam blurted out, but the deity – the living planet – shook her head.

"_**She is not dead, for she is me. We are one. Erin has agreed. We are bringing Cybertron here, and when she is here, closer than Mars but farther than the moon, we will return to our home and rebuild her into something even more beautiful than she ever was."**_

"What will happen to Erin?" Katie interjected anxiously.

There was a heavy silence. _**"She will die."**_

Instantly everyone made such a racket that Athena stepped back a bit.

"_**She is on the road to death already. We can feel it."**_ Athena's gentle voice stilled their rage and indignation. _**"Even if we were to leave her body – which we assure you is very much impossible – she would still die."**_

"There must be-" Jordan interrupted, but Athena waved her hand and she fell silent.

"_**Do you wish to speak to her?"**_ she didn't wait for a reply.

The blue-glow faded from her eyes until they turned into their usual dark, earthy-brown. Erin gave a shaky smile. "Sh-she is righ-ight."

"Is that all you can say?" Maggie demanded. "That Athena's right and that you're going to die? Don't you want to live?"

Erin gave a bitter laugh. "Ho-ow woul-ld I liv-ve? B-bli-ind a-and dy-ing f-fro-om ca-can-ncer?" The uncharacteristic bitterness in the girl's voice made them pause. "I've kn-no-nown ab-bout my dea-eath for a l-long ti-ime." she continued. "M-mei an-and I have s-spo-ok-ken about it a-a lot-t. Th-there i-is some-mething-g we w-wan-nt to g-give y-you."

Jazz cradled Katie gently as she sobbed. "Erin…"

The girl shook her head and her eyes slowly bled back to blue. _**"We have discussed this for a long, long time."**_ Athena told them. _**"The decision has been made. Erin, however, insisted that we give you each something for your care."**_ Their lips twisted upward in a slight smile. _**"A parting gift, she says."**_

The medals on their chest – each worn proudly and didn't cover up – glowed first silver then blue. The light continued up the thin thread-like chains and sank into their skins. At first it was a scary experience and they almost fell off their guardians' hands trying to stop the light, but as it touched their skin it felt…almost warm, and soothing.

"_**It is almost time."**_ Athena said and they all startled. _**"Our apologies, but we don't have the time to explain what we've done. All we can say is that you've been…ah, reborn."**_ She gave a sad smile. _**"**_**Adieu**_**."**_

Arcee charged at the door, bouncing back after hitting the force field that suddenly appeared on the door. She shrieked and her heartbreaking wailing had Armonie covering her ears and squeezing her eyes shut.

It was Italy all over again. Hot Rod cradled her gently and she curled up in his palms. The pulsing of his spark suddenly sounded so loud, and her mind began to drift, even as Arcee's shrieking became a counterpoint to the sound of Hot Rod's spark and her thoughts.

Like a log in the rapids, she was pulled along the currents of power and after a few moments' of fighting it, eventually gave in when something in the power – she wasn't sure if it was Athena, Erin, the heart of Cybertron, or some other entity – told her to relax, that she wasn't going to get hurt, that they'd protect her. She was swept along the currents and felt them twist around an unfamiliar planet.

_**Come.**_ Armonie obeyed, curious and she sank deep into the planet, through the metal that made its surface and deep down to an empty chamber at the very center. The currents swung around her and filled the chamber to the brim, at once beginning to glow with a fierce white-blue light. Tendrils of power crept along the seams of metal and the planet seemed to sigh around her, as if it missed its heart. Somewhere in the back of her mind Armonie supposed crazily that if she had her heart taken from her, she'd miss it too.

The swirling eddies of power twisted around her and she was swept along once more. She was taken along a stream of power and popped out on to the surface and skimmed along like a little breeze. Before her the scarred face of the planet became smooth as below her cylindrical protrusions jutted up suddenly. The wire-thin needles clicked and hissed as they settled and Armonie paused.

_Metal pine trees?_

_**They are beautiful.**_ The voice replied.

Armonie hovered above the surface as streams of power went through and past her, changing the smooth planet into an almost-Earth-like rendition in alien metal. _You wanted to make it like Earth._ She whispered, watching "mountains" rise and basins lower themselves to be filled with some strange liquid, Cybertron's version of water.

_**Because Earth is beautiful.**_

_Why am I here?_

_**Because you want to be.**_

The Italian woman shook her head. _No, I don't. I want to be back on _Earth_ with the _Autobots.

_**Do you really? Then why have you not left?**_

Armonie had no answer to that and she huffed.

_**You are curious.**_ The voice continued. _**This world holds things that you have not seen on Earth.**_

_Yes,_ Armonie admitted in a small voice.

_**Watch.**_ It sounded amused now.

The patch of metal they were over had finished growing its "trees," "mountains," and "rivers." In a shiver and pulse of white-blue light, creatures emerged. Creatures that had the appearance of wolves with webbed claws, a llama-like neck, and a rat-like face shook their thick metal fur and ambled or jumped into the lake. Birds with four pairs of claws, long feathery crests, and tails that dragged across the sky appeared in the sky and with lonely cries circled. Creatures Armonie had no name for appeared and she watched as they celebrated the return of their planet in their own way. Somehow she knew that Athena was not creating these creatures from Erin's imagination.

_**Now all that is missing are My Children.**_ The voice murmured. _**Bring them to Me, Armonie.**_

The Italian woman "turned" to the planet. She felt a sudden stirring of compassion for the spirit. _I will_. She promised. Her vision of the planet and the creatures still appearing on the surface blurred and dimmed. _I promise, Mother._

The last thing she heard was a low chuckle from the planet and a gentle caress like a cool breeze. But she could've sworn that she felt a trace of a wistful sigh drift along the eddies of wind. But there was only silence.

* * *

**. . . Uh. . . was I high when I wrote this? I have no clue. . .**

**I had just gotten back from a trip to visit my cousins in Hilo when I wrote the scene where Athena "falls" from Silverbolt. On the plane ride back home I had a similar dream. The last scene was also an almost-dream-sequence. **

**For those of you that read _Memoirs of a Brainless Brute_ and are planning to submit profiles, GET THEM IN SOON!!**

**_Aloha!_**

**~Kapua**


End file.
